Parish Path Warden

By now some of you will know that I have recently volunteered to be the Path Warden for Tetsworth Parish and this note is by way of an introduction to myself and to the role I have undertaken.My name is Andy Mayes and I moved to Tetsworth at the beginning of 2013 with my wife Carol. The area was well known to us as we lived just over the border in Buckinghamshire for 18 years until 2000 when we re-located to Herefordshire. Like a lot of retired people we have now moved again to be nearer our grandchildren. One of our many pleasures is walking and having spotted an appeal in the Parish Newsletter for a local path warden it seemed logical to add a little bit of administrative effort on behalf of the community as we tramped the local footpaths and bridleways.Although our paths and bridleways are ultimately the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council (OCC), the Parish Path Warden scheme is volunteer-based and is co-ordinated on behalf of OCC by the Ramblers Association.The purpose of Path Wardens is to keep Oxfordshire’s Public Rights of Way (PRoWs) open for easy use. All PRoWs are identified on a Definitive Map provided by OCC which is a legal record of all such rights of way in the county. To look at the map online, go to https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/countryside then click Access Maps.The Path Warden role involves:• Walking every path in the parish and noting any problems with access or way marking.• Doing light trimming of vegetation encroaching on the paths, particularly at stiles, bridges or gates.• Discussing minor problems locally to try and resolve them.• Reporting serious problems such as public safety issues or obstructed paths to OCC’s Countryside Access Team (CAT).• Working within specific guidelines agreed with OCC’s CAT.As I find out more about our paths and bridleways it is my intention to provide local information about where approved paths run and maybe some ideas of attractive walks for locals and visitors.To supplement the information I gather myself I would be happy to receive any comments concerning the paths in our parish, whether it simply be some overgrown vegetation that needs clearing or something more serious like a broken stile. To that end please contact me directly by email at tetsworthpaths@btinternet.com or via the Parish Council website. When providing information about a path please let me know the date the issue was noticed, a brief description of the problem and some identifying landmark (or even a grid reference) to pinpoint the place in question. Alternatively let me know your preferred means of contact and I will get in touch.Happy walking!